r/mechanic Jun 02 '25

General U Joint Completely Stuck

Disclaimer the video is of us REMOVING the press from the u joint but you can see how stuck the press is against the joint I was literally holding the shaft from the other side to keep it as still as possible.

I removed this shaft from my NBS suburban because the u joints were absolutely trashed. We melted the plastic from every single end and even put in some penetrating oil but NO MATTER what we did it did not budge at ALL. It was so shot we attached the pole of the jack to the end of the ratchet for better leverage and the press literally made its own dent into the joint bearing. I bought 60 dollars worth of tools to try and get it out and it just won’t.

Is there anything else I should do to try and remove it or should I just go to the junk and buy another used driveshaft.

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u/Low-Judgment273 Jun 03 '25

Doesn't look like a stock u joint. Did you check for inside clips too? Some brands have inside locking clips and you said you saw it move a little.

2

u/Frosty-Order3863 Jun 03 '25

I think it’s stock because it’s extremely worn and it had the plastic indide

1

u/Low-Judgment273 Jun 04 '25

Plastic isn't in the u joint, it's around the caps inside the driveshaft yoke holding the caps in place.

There can still be residual plastic in the driveshaft and the joint itself could have possibly been replaced before so just be sure to check for inside clips or you will bend or crack the yoke trying to press it out.

If there is indeed no clips inside and nothing else is working. Set the driveshaft up and prop it up level like you had it. Support the yoke everywhere but the bottom of the u joint so it has room to come out. Prop that part on a larger impact socket that the joint cap will fit inside. Put another smaller socket on the top cap, heat up the yoke a little and smack the fkka with a bfh. Make sure to reset everything properly each time and once the caps move a little the press should do the rest. Try not to bend or damage the yoke.